RainTrooper’s ATA Build

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

+1 I had the same issue, I think most of us do the first time, amazing how a few holes, rivets and screws can make a difference

[Raintrooper]

Thanks to a fellow trooper here on the boards (Thanks Andy!), I was able to shave 3 months off my wait for an ATA kit!  
Doin’ the happy dance!      

I felt like that kid on christmas morning, 1981.. tearing open my Kenner Death Star playset!
    

 

So, here’s where I’ll be for a while... “I’ll be in the basement, sweetie!†    My local garrison is having their annual armor party/potluck in a little over a week. SO glad I won’t be going empty handed!  I’ll have plenty of folks with plenty of experience to help tackle this beast.   

 

 

Born to be a TROOPER!  Just fulfilling my destiny... 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Awesome news the total exhilarating excitement, dancing around, singing, jumping but then !!!!!!!!! THE ABSOLUTE PANIC lol, good luck with the build look forward to seeing the progress

[bigtrev503]

I look forward to helping you with that kit! It's not as hard as it seems. Also, looking over your kit, you can make the inner drop boxes yourself from the offcut parts of your belt and knee ammo belt. Saves you a little money!

 

Double edit! It looks like ATA comes with the inner drop boxes now!!! I really got ripped off ordering mine a year ago!

 

Looking forward to seeing you build this thing. If it goes at all like your helmet did, it will be a piece of cake. Make sure to document every little thing you do with pictures, so people can stop you before you do something wrong. 

 

On with the pics!

Edited August 7, 2013 by bigtrev503

[Raintrooper]

I haven’t had a chance to get much more trimming done since the armor party... but I’m just about done trimming the large torso pieces. 
More progress this weekend! 

 

[Raintrooper]

Damn my lack of progress!!  I've still only scratched the surface on trimming my kit over the summer.  I probably won't get a whole lot done this Fall either, since I've decided to take the plunge and go back to school part-time and still work full-time...    Not sure what I've gotten myself into yet, but it's gotta be done.  My goal for TK completion is before Celebration Anaheim, so still plenty of time.  (Sorry, boring post, I know..)  Just wanted to say don't forget about me, I'll be back soon.  I'll try to squeeze in some armor work on the weekends when I can.  Thanks troopers! 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Sometimes it's better not to rush, take your time so you don't make any mistakes, oh and you have not been forgotten

[bigtrev503]

If you ever need any help, or your dremel back, just let me know! I'm getting closer to finishing, but still might not be done in time for halloween. You going to PSU?

[Techne[TK]]

Hey, slow and steady...you've got it, taking your time is not a problem.

[Raintrooper]

If you ever need any help, or your dremel back, just let me know! I'm getting closer to finishing, but still might not be done in time for halloween. You going to PSU?

Cool, thanks Trevor! Yeah, I could definitely use some guidance when I get to sizing and gluing cover strips.  I'll let you know when I'm ready to tackle this beast again.    

I just started a class at the Portland Code School to learn programming and web development.  It's a short program, only 3 months, but really intensive!  

[Raintrooper]

Finally solved my helmet padding problem!  After trying the star foam & strap, hard-hat liner, and other pieces of cut foam, these peel-and-stick 2" squares did the trick.  Helmet fits like a glove and doesn't wobble one bit.  Thanks so much Caleb! (emile1138)  
FS thread here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/24520-fs-customizable-helmet-padding/
 

[gazmosis[501st]]

If you get a good pair of metal shears, you can clip off the ends of those ear screws so they don't bury themselves into your head

[Raintrooper]

If you get a good pair of metal shears, you can clip off the ends of those ear screws so they don't bury themselves into your head

 

Yeah, I definitely need to get something to cut those bolts.  I left the bottom bolts long to attach a chin strap to it, but that wasn't very comfortable.      

[Raintrooper]

Thought I’d get the last bit of painting out of the way and finish my ab buttons.   I traced circles from a template onto painters tape, then used an x-acto knife to cut the holes. 
 

 

After 2 coats of Testors grey #1138, and Blue #1110, they turned out... ok.  There’s a bit of bleed through and a few spots where paint came off as I was taking the tape off.  
I’ll try to clean up that bottom button with some thinner.  How do they look, size-wise?  
 

[Raintrooper]

I received my bracket package from Darren (Mr. No Stripes) the other day, and I dove right into attaching the chest to the ab/cod piece!  I had a few concerns about using the brackets on an ATA kit due to the small return edges on the butt and kidney pieces. Would the ABS crack too easily? Would it look accurate? My mind was put as ease, thanks again Germain (5thHorseman) and Troopermaster Paul for the tips and the photo references!  Due to the angle of the return edge on the chest (less than 45 degree), I might need to bend the brackets inward a bit.  Once thats done, I think they're going to work great! 

 

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

I might make the jump as well one of these day

 

(But i have a Snowtrooper to build before !)

[Raintrooper]

Almost done with the arms!  I started with the biceps, but right away made a classic mistake.  Knowing the covers strips on the arms need to be 5/8", I measured and trimmed at 5/16" on the front AND backs of the bicep pieces, making them far too tight when testing them taped together.  

 

Question:  Since I am unable to butt-join the pieces completely together, how should I go about gluing the cover strips on the back of the biceps?  Should I use wider cover strips, covering the raised flat section, or stay with 5/8" strips and leave a space between the strip and the edge of the raised section?  Is it ok for the back cover strips to be wider than the front? I know I've seen this issue before with thighs and calves, but not with biceps.  

 

 

 

On a positive note, I think my forearms turned out pretty good!  I did what I could with the much larger right ATA forearm by trimming a tad more and gluing the cover strips to the very edge of the flat section.

 

 

 

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Jancelot had the same problem during his build. You can look at his build thread about how he handled it:

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/17863-tk-0393-ap-buildap/

[Raintrooper]

Thanks for the link Germain!  Looks like shims and a bit wider cover strip will do it.  

Edited January 18, 2014 by RainTrooper

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Leave a gap, use the proper sized cover strip. Shim the inside with a strip that covers the gap for strength.

[Raintrooper]

Will do, thanks Terry!  And also, thanks for your ATA helmet #1 build thread!  

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Glad it's helpful!

[Raintrooper]

Glued the shim/inner strip on the right bicep, no problem.  I'll be gluing the 5/8" outer cover strip once this dries.  My left bicep is looking to be a bit more difficult (3rd & 4th photos).  The raised flat section on one of the bicep pieces is not flat, warping upward at the elbow, making in difficult to hold down with clams or magnets.  Would a heat gun be the best solution to flatten/bend this area downward so the cover strip can be glued easier?  

 

 

 

 

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

I guess if you have enought clamps/magnets i can be glued as it is right now; but if you have a heatgun it can be a good time to use it

Edited January 20, 2014 by The5thHorseman

[Raintrooper]

Yeah, time to get a heat gun.  The clamp in the bottom photo barely has enough force to hold that corner down.  The warped edge at the other end would need a C-clamp. But, I dont think any magnets would hold it down flush in the middle.  Has anyone else experienced this with the ATA left bicep? or is this maybe just a bad vacu-form pull...??

Edited January 20, 2014 by RainTrooper